First Drive: Chevrolet Cruze Hatchback

Like sands through the hour glass… No, hold on a sec. Scott Hayes is not about to get misty-eyed over the Chevrolet Cruze, but it was one of the first car launches he attended when he started SA Car Fan back in 2009. He’s pleased to find that three years later the Chevrolet Cruze range is now more appealing than ever.

I can scarcely believe it’s been three years since General Motors South Africa invited me to a sneak preview of the Chevrolet Cruze. In a wine cellar buried deep in the Cape Winelands, I poked around a bright red pre-production model, while GM execs offered no fixed figures, but rather chose to focus on the car’s new, front-wheel drive, Global Delta II platform. A platform that would pave the way for future models set for global markets.

Since then the Chevrolet Cruze has proven popular the world over, with over 1.56 million units sold since it was launched in 2009. Three years on and the first GM ‘world car’ is now available in hatchback form and has come in for a few mid-life updates too.

From the off, the Chevrolet Cruze has been a well-built and solid feeling vehicle. It’s always given the impression of being slightly over engineered, possibly as a safeguard by a company which desperately needed a new product to help haul it out of its bankruptcy woes. It looks to have worked, as two years after filing for bankruptcy in June 2009, GM managed to reclaim the title of the world’s largest automaker, selling a staggering 4.76 million vehicles in 2011. It seems clear then, that the addition of the hatchback model is only going to broaden the Cruze’s appeal and increase sales of what is an already successful family car offering.

The design of the Chevrolet Cruze sedan was styled to achieve a bold, modern look, while at the same time having a tapering rear roof- and window-line to create a sleek silhouette. For its mid-life update, the Cruze has been given a revised front fascia with the mesh grille replaced with horizontal bars, while the side air intakes are redesigned around the new foglights. The rear end of the sedan has been given a new lower bumper design and looks better for it all round.

The new Cruze hatchback follows the overall design of the sedan precisely and it’s only when viewed from the side, or rear, that the more coupé-like styling of hatch’s rear end becomes evident. Details such as the roof-mounted spoiler and a subtle crease at the base of the C-pillar serve to imply a vaguely sporty character. The tail light cluster is unique to the hatch and blends well with the car’s character and shoulder lines.

Riding on the same 2 685 mm wheelbase as the sedan, the Cruze hatchback is in fact slightly shorter (89 mm) in overall length at 4 514 mm. With the rear seats in place, the Cruze hatch offers 413-litres of cargo space versus the sedan’s 450-litre area. Once the seats are folded flat in a 60:40 split, however, the hatch’s added practicality comes to the fore, with 883-litres available for the kid’s toys, groceries, or other bulky items. The re-profiled roof also offers more headroom for rear passengers, with 974 mm compared to 963 mm in the sedan. Accessing the boot is made easy too, with the fifth door being well balanced and requiring negligible effort to close under its own weight.

It’s not just in the most obvious area of design that Chevrolet have altered the Cruze. The suspension has been tuned specifically for the hatch and Chevrolet have added new bushings (68.5 mm) to the rear suspension to further reduce noise and vibration for back seat passengers. The Cruze’s already low levels of noise and vibration are characteristics that contribute to its slightly over engineered feel mentioned earlier, but with the introduction of the hatch, this has become even more evident.

Chevrolet invited media to Cape Town for the launch of the new five-door Cruze. Like the sedan, the engine line-up consists of 1.6- and 1.8-litre petrol engines, but the 2.0-litre turbocharged diesel has not been carried over. With a new 2.0-litre engine based on that of the Chevrolet Captiva, the diesel-powered Cruze sedan now offers 120 kW, but importantly, 360 Nm of torque (up from 110 kW and 320 Nm). Now also available with a 6-speed automatic, the diesel remains the first choice in our local Cruze sedan range, especially for those living at altitude. At the coast, the new 1.6-litre and unchanged 1.8-litre petrol engines perform adequately, but need to be worked on hills or when overtaking. The 1.8-litre continues to offer 104 kW and 176 Nm , while the 1.6-litre offers 91 kW and 155 Nm (up from 80 kW and 150 Nm).

When it comes to topping up the fuel tank, the 2.0-litre diesel will require the least number of litres, using 5.4 L/100km on average, while the 1.8-litre petrol uses 6.7 L/100km and the 1.6-litre unit needs to be worked a little harder and therefore drinks the same 6.7 L/100km as a result. All engines are paired with a 5-speed manual transmission as standard, while a 6-speed automatic is available with the 2.0-litre diesel engine and on special request with the 1.8-litre petrol.

In terms of ride and handling, the Cruze does a good job of dealing with bumps and potholes, which helps to make piloting the Cruze a relaxed driving experience. It’s not a car that enjoys being thrown around corners, likely due to the solid torsion beam rear axle where more dynamic competitors employ multi-link setups, but the hydraulically-assisted rack and pinion power steering responds accurately and progressively.

With the Cruze sedan having earned itself a 5-star Euro NCAP rating, the hatch is expected to perform to a similar standard, considering both body styles share the same fundamental chassis configuration. Active safety equipment includes: six airbags; seatbelt pre-tensioners on the front seats; Electronic Stability Control (ESC); Traction Control System (TCS); anti-lock braking (ABS) and electronic brake distribution (EBD).

Apart from the two engine choices, the Cruze hatchback is available in Chevrolet’s LS specification level. The LS model offers such standard equipment as air conditioning, remote locking, electrically-powered windows, follow-me-home headlights, electrically-adjustable heated door mirrors, radio/CD player with auxiliary input, front fog lamps and a leather covered steering wheel and gear shifter. The higher LT specification is available exclusively on the 2.0-litre diesel sedan model and boasts leather trimmed seats, Bluetooth connectivity, a USB port, rain-sensing wipers, automatic headlights, an electro-chromatic rear view mirror, 17-inch alloys and aluminium-effect trim on the instrument panel.

The Chevrolet Cruze range is now suitably refreshed and remains one of the most refined cars in it’s class. The Cruze hatch capitalises on success of the sedan, which is to say, it looks good, provides top-notch safety, is packed with plenty of standard features and is competitively priced. It’s an honest package that’s hard to argue against.

All models feature a 5-year/120 000 km warranty and 3-year/60 000 km service plan.

Comments

comments